When It Began…

This is the perfect arrangement for us because we have an “excuse” to go sailing whenever our schedules allow, but the boat doesn’t sit idle when we can’t be there.

Our hope is to eventually live on Let It Be, but for now, we are happy she is available to charter so others can experience the freedom and challenges of sailing.

Let It Be has four staterooms and four heads. The helm station offers plenty of space for sitting with the captain. Or you can sprawl on the helm deck lounge and still be close enough to the captain to offer a few sailing pointers without interrupting your tanning time.

The BVIs are a perfect sailing ground for part time sailors or for introducing family and friends to sailing. There are so many anchorages available that you can choose to sail for just a bit between stops or make a long day of sailing before setting anchor.

What was your reason for buying a boat and putting it in charter rather than just buying a used charter boat when you were ready to go? You could have just chartered in the meantime until you were ready. I ask because I am seriously deliberating on doing exactly what you did or if I should just hold-off and buy a used one when I retire in a few years. Any insight would be appreciated.

Hi JB. For us the difference between being an owner and a charter is a big one because we were able to learn about the boat, direct decisions about changes/repairs etc. As an owner you are part of the team and as a charter you are a guest. If you know all you need to about sailing and just want to try different boats and places then chartering might be great for you. We really liked the design of the Helia and wanted to have plenty of experience on our boat before we left charter. TMM was really great about supporting our learning and coming to our aid when we had an issue. We chose TMM because we like that each month we got a detailed maintenance/repair report so we knew what was happening. That report taught us a bit about what recurring issues we might face. For us it was fun to be on our own boat and get experience on our future home. Hope that helps explain our thoughts.